The landscape of Wolfe's Pond Park on Raritan Bay is rich in history, both natural and manmade. The beach was formed nearly 20,000 years ago during the last part of the ice age. The Wisconsin ice sheet transported enormous amounts of clays, sands, and gravels south and deposited them along the shores of Staten Island. The freshwater Wolfe's Pond was once a tidal inlet, but the gradual action of wind and waves pushed sand and clay into the mouth of the inlet, damming it and forming a pond. It is connected by a stream to Acme Pond, which was formed as the Wisconsin ice sheet retreated, leaving a large chunk of ice behind. As the chunk melted, it made a permanent depression, or kettle hole pond, filled with water.

When the City acquired land for Wolfe's Pond Park in 1929-30, it was already a popular recreational spot for the people of Staten Island and visitors from other boroughs of New York City and from New Jersey. More than ninety bungalows and summer cottages surrounded the pond. As a result of community protest in 1933, the buildings were razed and substantial park improvements were undertaken. A new dam was built to protect the freshwater pond from the infusion of salt water from the bay. A boat house, bath house, stairs to the beach, a parking lot, playground, and picnic area were constructed. Additional parcels of land expanded the park to its present acreage.